Here’s another photo of a bobcat that I’ve posted a few shots of in the past. It was a couple of years ago and I was on my way back to the airport after a business trip in LA. I had heard reports of a bobcat sighting at the San Joaquin Nature Preserve in Irvine. I had about forty minutes to spare before I needed to be at the airport, so I decided to stop by the preserve. It turned out to be a good decision. I was able to get a nice series of ground level images as the bobcat cautiously passed in front of me on its way to hunt ducks in a nearby swamp. I liked the lick smack on this particular frame.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 290mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second

I was recently going through my California landscapes folder and I came across all these images from Death Valley. The six photos show the geologic variety of Death Valley’s floor. A couple of them I have posted before but I wanted to show them together with the new shots. From the top, it’s the mud-caked ground of Mesquite Flats. Next is the lowest point in North America, Badwater Basin. The third image shows the sand dunes at Mesquite Flats. The fourth is appropriately called Devil’s Golf Course. The Fifth is called The Racetrack and is home to the mysterious moving boulders. And finally, the sixth is another type of dried mud near Stovepipe Wells.
Nikon D700 with a Nikkor 17-35mm, Gitzo tripod, ISO 200

I’m a big fan of jackrabbits. Of the three species — the black tailed, the white tailed and the antelope jackrabbit — the black tailed is the most commonly seen. This one was photographed in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in southern California. Although they are called jackrabbits, they are actually hares. The difference between a rabbit and a hare you ask? Other than a list of physical characteristics such as size and strength, the main difference is that rabbits are born blind and hairless while hares are born with fur and sight. As for those awesomely long ears on the jackrabbit — they play a role in regulating body temperature.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second

I had been photographing the owls at Boundary Bay in Canada for three overcast days before realizing that this majestic mountain was in the background across the bay in the United States. When the fog finally lifted and a bit of sunlight came through, it was quite a scene to see Mount Baker — located in Bellingham, Washington — slowly emerge in the distance. I was hoping for a flight shot with the mountain in the background, but had to settle for this snowy perched on a fallen tree.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/640th of a second (-0.67 ev)

I took this one a few year back in Colorado. Mount Evans is just about an hour from Denver and is accessed by the highest paved road in North America. More often than not when I go to this location, I see mountain goats. This mother, or nanny, seemed to be calling to her kid, letting the young one know that it was time to stop playing and time to go home before the rain.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 200, f/6.3 at 1/800th of a second

Another bat stars and seagrass photo. This one is from Pacific Grove, just south of Monterey, California. As you can see, they come in many different colors, including green, purple, red, orange, yellow and brown, and can be either mottled or solid.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/11 at several different shutter speeds (pseudo HDR image)

While short eared owls are in flight, they look around a lot, always scanning the landscape not only for dinner, but also for danger. They are small owls and their heads turn so quickly that it’s hard to see with the naked eye when they do, but I got quite a few shots like this with the owl’s body going in one direction and the head looking in the other.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1250, f/5 at 1/1000th of a second

This is an oldie but I have never uploaded it to the blog. It was early one morning in Delaware at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. This fox was so cooperative that I was able to move in close for some more interesting angles. Seems that whatever the species, a big yawn is always a treat.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4.5 at 1/640th of a second (-0.33 ev)

Saw whet owls are strictly nocturnal and they sleep for most of the day. I waited a long time for this little guy to wake up… yawn… do anything. After what seemed like a few hours, it finally shuffled around a bit on the branch before giving itself a good scratch. The eyes never opened.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/200th of a second

Hear’s another shot from that magical morning up at Seal River Lodge in northern Manitoba, Canada. This was a little later in the morning from the photo that is in my “Favorites” gallery. The light wasn’t quite as soft but still pretty great with the backlit mist rising from low tide on the Hudson Bay.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 98mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/1250th of a second (+2 ev)